Roadside bomb injures two in East Lebanon

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Lebanese soldiers stand guard at the site of a roadside attack near the border with Syria on 16 July 2013. (Photo: AFP / STR)

Published Tuesday, July 16, 2013

A roadside bomb exploded in East Lebanon on Tuesday injuring two men travelling in a convoy of vehicles, state news reported.

Lebanon's National News Agency said Hussein Ali Deir and Fadi Abdul Karim were rushed to a hospital after the explosion hit their SUV on a road near the Masnaa border crossing to Syria.

Media speculated that the men were travelling as part of a Hezbollah convoy transporting fighters to Syria.

If confirmed, the attack would be the fourth one to target Hezbollah since May.

It was not immediately clear who was behind the attack.

But blame will likely be pinned on Syrian rebel groups who have threatened to strike Hezbollah in Lebanon following the group's military intervention in Syria on the side of government forces.

The attack comes one week after a car bomb injured more than 50 people in a southern Beirut suburb where Hezbollah maintains strong support.

Last month a pair of roadside bombs reportedly targeting a Hezbollah convoy travelling to Syria exploded in East Lebanon. There were no injuries in that attack.

And in late May, rockets were fired at a Hezbollah stronghold in the southern Beirut suburbs. That attack injured four Syrian men.

Pictures from the scene of Tuesday's attack showed black smoke rising from the targeted cars. The windscreen of one of the vehicles was smashed.

Several small roadside bombs have been set off near the Syrian border crossing in recent months.

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